Passion: Across the Universe
by Nikolinni
Summary: Bass was an average fox who wanted to go on an adventure to escape his bland, boring life. Who would've imagined that his first adventure would be his greatest ever that would leave him to love?
1. Opening

I. Opening

Movies. Books. Stories that take us to fantastical worlds filled with danger, excitement, and things beyond imagining. Wonderful, to be sure, but nothing more than fiction, right?

Every dream that has ever been dreamed, every conceived thought, every imagined world is born the moment it is thought of, for this is the power of dreams. However, these worlds exist apart from each other. They are parted by veils of time and space, and so remain separated.

But there are those who have crossed the veil, those who have stepped beyond the borders of their own world and into another. What happens when this occurs can only be guessed. Sometimes this meeting will bring joy, sometimes strife. It may bring sadness or bliss, foes or companions, solitude or love. 

-(000)-

Bass sighed longingly as he turned the next page of his favorite adventure novel. The young fox brushed a lock of his dark brown fur out of his eyes as he continued to read and wished, not hardly for the first time, that he could melt into the pages of his book and live the life he had read about so many times.

Bass was the absolute epitome of the average individual. He was of average height, reaching only four feet one inches, and had only the most rudimentary of athletic skills. He adopted the usual animal custom of going bare-bodied in public, his general wardrobe consisting simply of a pair of cloth gloves and sneakers. The only feature that was at all unique about him were his eyes, which were orange, albeit a darker orange that just displayed the fox's longing for adventure.

On this particular day one of Bass' friends, a leonian by the name of Leo, had asked him if they could meet to hang out and chat. Bass had obligingly wandered down to the park to wait for his friend, bringing his favorite adventure novel to read while he sat waiting on one of the park's many benches. Just as he was about to begin the first sentence of his favorite chapter, a familiar voice called his name.

"Bass! Hey Bass! How's it going?"

Bass slowly closed his book and looked up to see a familiar feline-esque animal called a leonian walking over to meet him. He had black and white fur, and the most unique aspect about him were the leonian's signature trait: their ears which grew out from behind their heads and extended down to their ankles like long flowing hair. Leo's crystal blue eyes were bright with excitement as he walked over to meet Bass. Leo's eyes were outright stunning; it was often commented that they seemed to shine with some kind of inner purity which reflected Leo's devotion to the faith he practiced.

"Hello, Leo," greeted Bass, concealing the wistfulness he had felt a moment ago. "The usual. What about you?"

"Eh, nothing much," Leo replied casually. "Just bored. You know, the usual."

"Yeah," Bass agreed. "Union Spring is a nice place and all, but nothing seems to happen here anymore. It sure can get boring around here."

"So, do you have anything in mind?" Leo asked brightly. "Something worth doing? Cause I don't." Bass paused to consider a moment.

"Wanna go hang out elsewhere?" he finally asked.

"Where did you have in mind?" Leo asked with interest. Bass grinned.

"How's the Pearl Bar sound to you?"

"Like one heck of a good idea," Leo agreed as he recalled the place. The Pearl Bar was an establishment that was designed to give the young folks of Union Spring the lively and cheerful air of a bar without the possibly distasteful entertainment and alcoholic beverages. It did quite good business, and a lot of teenagers went there to chat, hang out, play games, and listen to the numerous cover bands that played there.

"Do you think that Senis will be playing today?" Leo asked twenty minutes later as they rounded the bend onto Fifth Street, where the Pearl was situated. Senis was an all-teen cover band and one of the most popular to date. They played everything from Ariniks Rock to Kairs Pop.

"They might," answered Bass. "After all, it's a weekend in the summer. That's when they usually-well, speak of the devil," he finished with a grin. The pair of friends had just come within earshot of the brightly decorated neon sign heaven that was the main entrance to the Pearl Bar. Familiar notes on an electric guitar sang through the door.

"Yep. Definitely Senis," Bass confirmed. "My friend," he continued, slapping Leo a high-five, "today we are lucky men." Senis was well known for their cover-songs of famous and well-known Karis bands. They were easily their most popular works.

Leo and Bass entered the bar to various cries of greeting from friends. After responding in kind the pair began making their way over to the bar for drinks. As they did so Bass looked back to see the players of Senis. There was Silas, the blue furred male cat of age seventeen, clad in his signature hooded jacket and filling his usual role of lead vocal. There was sixteen year old human Mark, with his brown hair, long sleeved red shirt, blue pants and green guitar. Darin was also present, a sixteen year old bat bassist. Then there was Arthur, the yellow feathered fifteen year old mongoose on synthesizer. Finally, there was Jaril, the ever-so-quiet male fox with the age of seventeen, keeping a mean beat on his prized drum set.

Bass and Leo finally made their way to the bar and took seats next to each other. Within a moment the female bartender, a cheerful swallow of red plumage, had wandered over to them.

"What'll it be boys?" she asked brightly as she cleaned a dirty glass with a wet cloth.

"I'll have a lemon-lime," Bass replied.  
"Cola for me," Leo said. He then pulled out some coins from his pocket and set them on the bar. "It's on me this time."

As the pair sipped their drinks Sarin finished their song to thunderous applause.

"All right! How is everyone tonight!" called Silas, who was answered with a loud round of cheering.  
"That's great!" shouted the cat. He turned to his band and murmured something, and then turned back to the audience as his group began to play.

"We're gonna play a little favorite of ours for you," he said as he returned to his mike. "Let's see how many of you know this one." Within moments the audience was roaring with delight as Sarin launched into another song, obviously of Karis nature because of the lyrics that were in the Karis language.

"So Bass, how's it going?" asked Leo presently.

"Fine," came Bass' reply, but Leo could tell his heart wasn't in it.

"Oh, come on," the leonian cajoled. "What are you moping about?" Bass was silent for a long while, staring into his drink.

"Okay, I'm not really fine," he finally admitted. "Leo, have you ever been bored with life?"

"Bored with life?" Leo asked, not understanding. "How so?"

"Well, to be honest I'm just tired of my life. It's so dull. Just once I'd like to do something exciting, like the stuff you read about in books, you know?"

"I guess…" answered Leo slowly. "To be perfectly honest I'm quite fine with my life. But I can't deny that it would be cool to go on some kind of awesome adventure somewhere."

After a few hours Bass and Leo decided to head for home. The two parted ways with a cheerful farewell and as Bass made his way home in solitude thoughts of the adventure he longed to have filled his mind once again. Suddenly he became aware that someone was whistling nearby. He continued walking a short ways, and it was not long before he found the whistler: Dusk, a leonian and another one of Bass' friends. The lion leapt down from atop a fence with a quick "Hello Bass." Dusk was eighteen and wore a buttoned up red cloth vest and purple pants that matched his neutral violet eyes. He had his left hand concealed in his pocket.

"Hi Dusk," Bass answered.

"So," began the leonian, "anything interesting happen today?"

"Nope," replied Bass dejectedly. "Nothing."

"Still wanting that 'adventure' of yours?" Dusk asked. "What about rock climbing or something like that?"

"I can't afford to rock climb!" Bass exclaimed. "I can barely afford to visit the Pearl once a month. Besides, you know I'm talking about real adventures, not a quick adrenaline rush."

"Well, Bass," Dusk said with a shrug, "The only thing I can tell you is to just keep waiting. I'm sure you'll get your chance soon. Remember: luck is when opportunity meets preparation." With that, Dusk walked into the night, and seemed to vanish into the darkness, leaving Bass to finish walking on his way home. When he finally got home he climbed into bed, lost in day dreams and fantasies of the adventures he so craved.


	2. Hope Never Dies

II-Hope Never Dies

"Again and again I'm asked the question: 'Why do you believe in _that_?' Well, it's simple. Hope is something that gives people a reason, a light of sorts. I believe in hope because it is that light. It is an optimism that can lead people to better views, ideals, and thinking. And I think the realistically optimistic can achieve anything, because they have the will to try. So what is it that I believe exactly? That hope never dies." ~Maximillion "Maxim" Tsunami, Human Scientist and All-Around Optimist.

Bass quickly marched up the steps to the Union Spring Public Library. His novel was overdue, and anyways he was in the mood for a new story. That was why this Saturday afternoon he was making his way up the 22 steps to the doors of the massive three-story building.

Bass opened the door and walked slowly into the library, doing his best not to make a sound. The librarians here were all very friendly, but they were very strict enforcers of the 'quiet rule'. As Bass made his way through the reception area, which had a few computers and mostly reference books, he took mental inventory of the library. The first (and much of the second) stories contained the fictional works. Bass knew that the adventure novels were placed in the back of the first floor, so it was there he walked. As he passed through the aisles he looked at the various books on the wall, pointing out in his head the ones that were already read. After a few minutes of walking Bass finally reached the library's back. To his dismay, he found that he had already read every story worth reading.

"Aw man," he moaned quietly. "There's nothing new here anymore. What a waste." However, as he looked around dejectedly a new section caught his eye. The shelves were labeled 'Science Fiction'. Bass had never noticed this particular section before. Intrigued, he made his way over and began slowly browsing the titles.

"You're a new face in this section."

Bass started as a sudden and very unexpected voice sounded directly to his right. Turning quickly in the appropriate direction he found that the voice belonged to a slim male human, who wore glasses and looked to be in his mid-twenties. He was wearing a red coat, black pants and black shoes. His hair was jet black and his eyes were a deep shade of royal violet.

"Sorry to startle you," the human said apologetically. "My name's Maximillion 'Maxim' Tsunami, father of Mark Tsunami. Call me Maxim; everyone does."

"Wait a minute," Bass exclaimed. "The Mark Tsunami, lead guitarist of Sarin? Get out!"

"I'm completely serious," answered Maxim with a small grin. "Don't worry; I usually get that kind of reaction. Anyway, what brings you to the sci-fi section? Don't you usually read adventure novels?"

"Well, yeah," Bass answered. "But they're getting kinda boring, like most—hey... How do you know what I usually read?" he asked, his voice slightly suspicious. Maxim shrugged in response.

"I've seen you around here a few times. You've always been in the adventure section, so I assumed as much. Anyway, I don't know if you'd find these stories any good. They don't have a whole lot in common with your adventure stories."

"Then why are you here?" Bass asked, perplexed.

"I enjoy this sort of story," Maxim answered. "But it's not for everyone. My favorite part of the genre is definitely the stories about other worlds and alternate dimensions. You know, things like that."

"That does sound neat," Bass agreed, his mind playing with the notion a bit. "But doesn't that get boring after a while? I mean, you can read and read all you want, but it's not the same as actually doing it. Don't you ever wish you could put down the book and just do it? I mean, for real?"

"Hmm," Maxim said, looking thoughtful. "Well, I won't deny that the thought has crossed my mind many a time, but I have to admit that these books I'm reading don't really inspire much confidence for an adventure like that."

"Why not?" asked Bass.

"Well, the books that I've been reading recently are about alternate worlds discovered via a portal. Portals eventually lead to rifts, and rifts cause problems."

"Oh, okay," Bass said. He didn't understand what Maxim was talking about exactly, but it wasn't hard to assume that he didn't want a rift (whatever it was) if it caused problems.

"So," asked Maxim, a knowing glint in his eye. "Would I be correct in assuming that you want to go on such an adventure?"

"Well, yeah," admitted Bass sheepishly.

"Any adventure?" Maxim pressed.

"Yes. Anything new would be great. I'd love for something different to happen."

"Different?" Maxim asked. "How so, 'different'?"

"Different from everyday life," Bass explained. "It's so boring. Nothing interesting ever happens."

"Well, don't give up," Maxim said. "I'm sure that you'll get a chance soon."

"Yeah, that's what Dusk's been telling me," Bass said.

"Dusk?"

"One of my friends. He's always telling me to not give up and that I'll get a chance soon and all that jazz."

"He's actually right, you know," Maxim stated. "If there's one thing I've learned throughout the years, it's that hope never dies."

"Hope never dies?" Bass was a little perplexed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Maxim explained with a grin. "Hope is something that just never dies. For those who have hope, anything is possible given the right amount of effort. It's something of a maxim I live by."

"But how will hope help me with going on an adventure?" Bass asked, sounding very dubious. "I've been hoping all my life, and nothing's happened yet."

"Because," Maxim said, "by having hope, you keep your dream alive. Besides, you need to recognize your opportunities when they arrive. How can you see these opportunities if you're all gloom and doom?"

"I guess you're right…" Bass agreed half-heartedly. He didn't really believe what Maxim was saying, but he didn't feel like saying so.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat," Maxim said suddenly, pulling out a pocket watch and looking at it, "but I've got to run home for now. Listen, meet me at Union Spring Park tomorrow morning and I'll show you something pretty cool."

"What is it?" asked Bass excitedly. Maxim smiled with just a hint of a teasing gleam in his eyes.

"You'll just have to wait and see. " With that, Maxim left. However, the young fox could not help but get the feeling that there was more than meets the eye with this Maxim character. Still, he could not put his finger on it, so with a shrug he continued to browse the shelves silently, looking for a book to read. 

*** *** ***

Bass had spent a good hour or so at the library, reading back covers and skimming through various books. After he realized, to his slight dismay, that there were no books that would whet his appetite, he left.

'So much for that,' he thought as he walked down the steps of the huge library. 'Now what?'

As Bass reached the bottom of the steps, he happened to notice a black-feathered teen avian sitting about six feet to his left. He seemed to be conversing with a male navy blue hedgehog who appeared to be around nineteen. There was nothing particularly odd about the pair, but for some reason Bass found himself intrigued by them. Curious, he walked slowly and nonchalantly over to listen in.

Unfortunately, it seemed that he was not quite casual enough, because before he managed to actually hear anything the hedgehog looked up at him rather quickly.

"Can I help you?" he asked, not unkindly but not very openly either.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare," Bass said quickly." I've just never seen you two before. Are you new here?"

"Kaden," the avian said sharply. "I don't think we should be talking to him."

"Don't worry, Giran," Kaden said casually. "What harm can it do?" He then turned to Bass and smiled. "I guess you might say that. Giran here and I are parted of a traveling group of sorts. By the way," he said suddenly as he turned to Giran, "how's your friend been?"

"She's been good," he replied as he made to stand up.

"Good to hear," Kaden said. "Well, we should get going; me and Giran need to get back to camp."

"Can I come?" asked Bass. He'd only just met the pair, but already they seemed interesting enough.

"Sorry, little guy. I'm afraid that's out of the question," answered Kaden. "Our camp site's really far away."

"That's not a problem," Bass replied. "I've got hours before I have to head home, and I need something to kill the time."

"Well…still," Kaden insisted, rather evasively. "Besides, we've got some stuff for our show lying around the campsite, and we can't afford to have anyone see it before it's time."

"Show?" Bass was really intrigued now. Were these circus performers? Traveling actors?

"Yeah, we're part of a special puppet show," Kaden answered.

"Puppet show?" Bass asked. Well, that wasn't quite what he'd been expecting. Still, he didn't wanted to sound underwhelmed so he did his best to sound impressed.

"Maybe if we're in town sometime you can come see us," Giran called over his shoulder as he started to walk away.

"Alright."

With that, Kaden and Giran began to head off up the street.. As they did, Dusk came down from the steps of the library and walked up to Bass.

"Who're they?" the leonian asked as he looked after the pair.

"They're a couple of guys from some puppet show," Bass answered.

"A puppet show?" Dusk sounded intrigued. "Are they in town or something?"

"I don't think so," replied Bass. "But they said they might be soon. I wonder what their act is like."

"Anyway," Dusk said, turning back to Bass. "Me and Leo were gonna head down to the Pearl Bar. You interested?"

"Actually," Bass said, looking away, "I think I'll take a miss. I was gonna go home. Maybe later." 


	3. Premonition

III-Premonition

"Dreams are interesting things. Sometimes they seem to tell us something, while other times they just seem to be so abstract. A lot of weird and unclear things tend to happen in my dreams…" ~Leon "Leo" Leghito, Devotee' of the Order of Light.

Bass wasn't sure how he'd come to be dancing in the middle of a valley. However hard he tried, he could not recall any of the events that might have led up to this. However, at the same time he felt not at all out of place. On the contrary, this seemed like the most natural thing in the world to be doing.

As he continued to dance Bass quietly took note of his surroundings. As he had previously noted, he was currently in the middle of a valley. The exact location was unfamiliar to him, but it was undeniably beautiful. Lush, green grass blanketed the floor of the valley, decorated generously with large patches of beautiful flowers in every color. It was evening at the time, and the sky was splashed liberally with bright stars surrounding a full moon.

Finally, Bass took notice of his dancing partner. His first thought was that she was human, but he quickly disregarded this notion. For one thing, she was too short, about half a head shorter than the average human. In addition, there wasn't a human on earth that had features like her. Her skin was as pure white as freshly fallen snow, covered by an equally white dress that flowed down to the ground. Her hair was a bright forest green, and it curled in front of her face almost like a mask. Her eyes shone bright as rubies, and as the pair revolved silently those eyes looked at Bass with nothing less than pure love.

For a long while the pair revolved silently as the moon watched over them. As they danced Bass continued to mull over his situation. It was outlandish to say the least, but at the same time it did not put him off. It seemed almost…familiar, though he would have sworn on his life that he had never done anything like this before. The same was true of his dancing partner. Try though he might, Bass could not think of anyone that even remotely resembled her, but at the same time he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she meant everything in the world to him.

The scene was perfect, like something out of a fairytale. How Bass wished this dance could last forever, but no sooner had this thought entered his mind then something began to go wrong. The sky suddenly began to darken for no apparent reason, and both Bass and his nameless companion looked up at the sky in alarm. Then, the pair was swallowed by a massive shadow, though no source could be found.

Bass looked around, trying to find the source of the darkness when he suddenly heard his companion give a cry of distress. He turned back to find her surrounded by large, horrible looking creatures. They resembled nothing so much as massive rotting trees, their wooden bodies covered with horrible lichens and moss, their faces terrible and warped like rotten wood. Where had they come from?

As Bass watched, two of the tree creatures each grabbed one of the girl's arms and began to drag her toward a massive airship that had not been there but two minutes before. Bass immediately followed after them, but stopped when he found his progress halted by more of the strange tree creatures. They marched toward him, their arms outstretched to grab him. Bass stumbled back in a panic. He knew he had to save his friend, but how could he fight these beasts? The smallest was at least three times his size. He'd be mashed to a bloody pulp the moment he got within arm's length of those things.

As he tried desperately to think of something he could do, Bass heard his friend cry out again. His heart clutched at the sound, and suddenly his panic melted into righteous anger. How dare these monsters abduct his friend and attack him! He could not allow this, and he was not about to. At that moment, something seemed to awaken deep within him. He knew not what it was, but it felt powerful, felt good. His entire body felt alive with an energy he'd never tasted before, and as he stared down his aggressors he suddenly knew no fear.

A sudden instinct gripped him in that moment. Where it came from he would never know, but he bowed before it, obeying its prompts. With a grand flourish Bass waved his arms through the air, inducing a complex sign. His palms suddenly tingled with static electricity, and a distinct smell of ozone appeared on the breeze. Bass thrust his palms at the trees as he barked three words in a language he did not know, and lightning erupted from his grip. It lanced across the clearing as fast as thought and blasted the tree beasts in half.

Bass paused for only a moment to observe the smoldering remains of the creatures, and then ran full tilt toward the airship. He climbed up the gangplank, dashed across the deck and burst into the door of what appeared to be the main cabin. To his irritation more than his dismay he found more of the horrible tree creatures inside, all turning at the sound of his entry. As one, they began to lurch toward him. However, now Bass was not afraid of these creatures. He had once, and he would do it again. His friend's life depended on it.

Once more, Bass felt energy build within him. The sensation was already growing familiar, or perhaps it already was familiar. The strange gestures appeared in his mind once again, and he mirrored them flawlessly despite their complexity. He expected to feel the build of electrical energy in his palms again, but instead he suddenly noticed a distinct rise in temperature unrelated to lightning. His body felt as though he'd been standing in a sauna for hours, but he didn't feel hot or muggy. On the contrary, he felt alive. More strange words appeared in his mind, and he recited them without hesitation. He took aim at the nearest tree and hauled back like a major league pitcher. When he unwound and threw his imaginary ball, a sphere of bright red flame erupted from his hand, colliding with the tree and enveloping it in a pillar of burning heat and light as it writhed. Within seconds it was nothing more than smoking ash. Again and again Bass recited the charm and hurled balls of fire at the tree beasts, burning them to cinders within seconds. He did not know where this power came from, but like so much else that had happened it seemed familiar, as though it were a part of him and always had been. Whatever it was, he liked it.

With these adversaries slain, Bass hurried onward, not even pausing to admire his handiwork this time. On the far side of the cabin was a doorway, and since it was the only viable path Bass dashed toward it. Once through, he discovered a small hallway leading to a spiral staircase. Barely slowing his stride, he reached the first step and began to climb.

Higher and higher the stairs went, going up and up far beyond where the roof of the craft must have been. At first Bass had eyes only for the stairs in front of him, but by and by he began to notice that he was passing picture frame after golden gilded picture frame. At first he ignored the pictures, but eventually they began to demand his attention. Within the various canvases he saw a massive city, an endless forest, a campsite, an airship, and a seemingly endless number of strange creatures ranging from small rocks with arms to mighty dragons with mouths aflame.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity Bass reached the top of the stairwell, only slightly out of breath. Before him was another set of double oaken doors, over which was set a massive ornate picture frame more delicately designed than any of the previous. The subject of the painting was lost in shadow, but it seemed to unnerve Bass for some reason he could not place. However, Bass knew he had no time to waste, so he ignored the painting and stepped through the doors, wary of any more tree monsters.

However, instead of a waiting group of assailants, or even the interior of a ship, Bass found himself staring at a massive chasm spanned by a tiny wood plank bridge. Bass walked over to the edge of the chasm and looked down. The wind whistled harshly against the rock faces, but the bottom was lost to view. He picked up a rock and dropped it over the edge, but heard nothing as it sailed past the shadows.

Bass stood back up and warily eyed the bridge. It was very old, to say the least, and more than a bit flimsy. Still, his new found powers didn't seem to extend to flight, so the bridge was the only way to go. Slowly, cautiously Bass began to edge across the bridge. He still felt fairly confident, but as the bridge swayed slightly his stomach began to flutter. Suddenly the planks of wood seemed a bit less sturdy, and was that rot on the ropes? The bridge suddenly lurched in the wind, and Bass felt his stomach give a back flip. He put his foot down again, and his heart jumped into his throat as the plank snapped.

His courage deserted him in an instant. He fell backward in surprise, and he heard fibers of the rope begin to snap around him as the bridge started to give way. This was it. There was no way out. He was dead center in the middle of the chasm, with no chance to get across to either side. He was going to die, and there was no way he could stop it from happening.

The bridge began to sway dangerously, and Bass cowered where he sat. Desperately he looked at the far side of the chasm, wondering if he might possibly be able to make a break for it. However, when he looked this time, he noticed that someone was now standing on the lip of the canyon just next to the bridge's mouth. He was vaguely reminiscent of a human male, but his features seemed just a bit off, specifically his green hair and white skin. His face was partially obscured by his own green hair, but an encouraging smile was just barely visible on his face.

At first the nameless human-like creature's encouragement had no effect on Bass. However, the more he look at this creature, the more he noticed just how self-assured he seemed. He had the confidence of ten men at least, and it seemed that bravery is contagious, because suddenly Bass began to think that maybe, just maybe, he was not going to die.

The bridge began to steady slightly, and the planks underfoot seemed a bit sturdier than they'd been a moment ago. Cautiously Bass got to his feet, and as he did so he began to think that perhaps he wasn't going to die in the first place. The ropes stopped creaking in their ominous way, and Bass's courage grew a bit more. He began to tentatively step forward once more, and with each step he walked a little less cautiously. The fibers tightened and the planks hardened as he went, and now he was sure he'd make his way across this bridge. How had he ever doubted it?

When Bass was about a quarter of the way from the opposite side he broke into a run. He had lost time with his little panic attack, and his friend still needed his help. By the time he was within ten feet or so of the bridge's end, he wasn't even thinking of the perilous drop below. However, just when he was about to step of the bridge and onto solid ground, something hurled itself from out of the depths of the canyon and landed with a thunderous BOOM directly in front of him.

Lurching backward in alarm, Bass found himself looking at yet another tree creature. However, this one was easily three times the size of the largest one he'd faced so far. The beast lurched forward and swiped at Bass who, still surprised by the creature's appearance, barely managed a clumsy dodge and stumbled backward, away from his goal. The beast swung its massive wooden arm at Bass again, who dodged more gracefully this time. Despite the creature's massive size, Bass was still not afraid of it. It was, after all, no different from any of the others he had faced except for this fact.

…Or was it? As Bass danced further and further backward, waiting for the gestures and incantations to fill his mind as they had before, he found himself looking into the face of the beast. Most of the other creatures' had worn vaguely uniform countenances, but this one was unique. What was more, it was familiar somehow. Little bits and pieces of the thing's face stood out to Bass, who tried to place on whose face he had seen them before. And then it hit him with the force of an avalanche. It was him.

It was impossible. It couldn't be. It made no sense. Yet there it, as plain as day. Somehow, inexplicably, Bass saw his own face looking out at him from a canvas of rotten wood and sickly yellow moss. Suddenly, Bass was afraid. As he looked into the desolate, miserable eyes of the horrible creature who wore his face, he was terrified. Somehow the thought had entered his mind that he might, impossible though it might seem, become this horrible thing. And it terrified him.

Suddenly the bridge lost its stability. It swung dangerously, causing Bass to pinwheel his arms wildly in order to maintain his balance. The tree took advantage of his disorientation to sweep yet another blow at him, which he only just managed to dodge. The attacks were coming closer and closer now, and Bass knew that just one would be enough to hurl him into the abyss. That is, if it didn't shatter every bone in his body first.

Diving wildly to avoid yet another punishing blow, Bass landed on his side. As he struggled to get back to his feet, he again caught sight of the man creature. The man thing's gaze still held the utmost confidence, but now it seemed just a bit reproachful.

'Oh, come on,' his eyes seemed to say. 'You've come this far to fail before something so sad and pathetic? You've got more in you than that. I know you do.'

Once again, the man thing's bravery seemed to inspire Bass' own. He leapt easily to his feet, as sure footed as a mountain goat on a bridge that was once again as solid as a rock. He looked back into the face of the beast, and now his thoughts held only pity, not fear. This thing might be his fate, but if that was the case, then there was no use fretting about it. Worrying wasn't going to save him, and it wasn't guaranteed that he would have to wear that horrible creature's mask.

The tree monster swung its fist again, and Bass easily sidestepped. As he did so, he felt the power he had been waiting for finally swell within him. This new energy was unlike the fire and lightning he had wielded before, and it escaped his powers of description, but it was comforting to feel all the same. Bass stared the creature down, and as he touched this power no words or gestures came to mind this time, just a willpower that extended beyond determination. He knew somehow that if he wanted it, it could be, simply because he wanted it.

Bass slowly raised his palm at the creature and willed it to get out of his way. A wall of psychic energy erupted from his palm and blasted the creature backward. It sailed through the air ten, twenty feet at least, landing with a resounding crash on the far side of the bridge. For a moment it tried weakly to stand again, but then it slumped back to the ground and moved no more.

The scene seemed to pause, as though the wind were holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. Jogging to the bridge's end, Bass noticed that the fallen tree beast was glowing very faintly. The glow began to intensify until the creature was nothing so much as a burning white light. Then it began to shrink slowly, until it was no bigger than a baseball. The ball of light rose slowly in the air, and before Bass could do a thing it rushed him and melted straight into his chest.

Bass staggered backward as though pushed and clawed instinctively at his chest, expecting to feel some horrible sort of mutation in his body. But feeling of his insides melting or turning to ice did not come. Instead, the light brought with it a sort of comfort, as though he'd survived a horrible, unspeakable ordeal that was finally at an end after days of suffering.

Disconcerted, but not deterred, Bass walked over to his nameless companion. The man creature spoke not a word, but instead began to walk quietly down a short corridor to a large door of polished black wood. He stepped to the side, and without even pausing Bass marched forward and flung the door wide. Some things your friends can help you with, but some doors you have to open yourself.

The room on the other side of the door had a beautiful sort of dark grace to it. Everything as far as the eye could see was carved from a marvelous black crystal that glistened mysteriously in the light of torches set in brackets on the wall. Tall fluted columns supported a twenty foot tall black ceiling as deep as the night sky. A throne of rich ebony sat imposingly at the far side of the room on top of a small dais. The room would have been beautiful, had it not felt so cold. In the center of the room, magically bound, unconscious, or simply too terrified to move, was Bass's friend, huddled on her knees with her arms wrapped around herself and looking very small indeed.

Bass immediately ran toward her, crossing the room as if in a dream. He was almost by her side when suddenly the temperature in the room, already eerily cold, plummeted to arctic temperatures. It was as though a sudden blast of frigid wind had stolen all the warmth away. Suddenly the shadows lengthened and lurched menacingly. The flames in the torches flickered as though about to go out, and the light in the room seemed to dim. Suddenly, something reached straight up out of the floor and grabbed Bass around the neck.

The fox was slowly lifted off his feet as an arm that seemed made of darkness itself began to rise out of the ground. Long, cold fingers the color of onyx threatened to squeeze the air from him as he struggled to free himself. The arm grew longer and longer still as it rose from the ground until finally it was followed by a shoulder, then a neck, and finally a head. The vile shadow thing rose higher and higher until Bass could have touched the ceiling had he wanted to. Finally, the monster finished emerging from the floor and slowly lowered the fox to better study its prey.

There was no face to peer back into. The entire creature was a solid, unyielding black, like a shadow that had walked off the wall. It appeared vaguely bipedal shaped, 14 feet tall at the very least, and seemed to be wearing a long robe of some sort, but its outline was fuzzy and indistinct, as though it wasn't quite solid. Of course, the fingers around Bass's throat left the fox with no illusions as to just how real this apparition was. The sole defining features of this…thing were its eyes. Two red, slanted slits were set high upon the shadowy blob that represented its head, and there was nothing vague or indistinct about them. They were razor sharp and very cruel, and they regarded Bass with a frigidness that made ice seem warm.

The creature suddenly whipped its arm and hurled Bass clear across the room. He collided with the upper frame of the door through which he had entered with a cry and fell to the ground. The collision with the unforgiving black stone knocked the breath from him, and it felt as though someone had swung a baseball bat straight into his ribs. Gingerly he got back to his feet and felt himself for damage. Nothing was broken, but Bass knew very well he couldn't take many more hits like that before this ceased to be the case.

Straightening slowly, Bass just had time to notice that the creature was sweeping its arm in his direction. Instinct took over, and he rolled to the side just as the shadow pointed a single finger at the spot where he had just been. A bolt of black lightning erupted from its fingertip and blasted a hole in the stone floor the size of a small desk. Bass regained a standing position and, muttering a few words that chose this moment to appear in his mind, erected a shield of energy in time to halt a sphere of dark energy from the monster. His opponent clearly had no intention of giving him so much as a second to breath.

Bass grappled desperately with the orb, trying to maintain his shield. The effort to protect himself was wearing on his stamina, and he knew that if his defense fell, he would turn to dust. Finally, after what seemed a few hours at least, the orb dissipated and Bass dispelled his shield with a sigh, wiping sweat from his forehead. He then leapt backward with a yelp as the creature lunged toward him and slammed its fist into the ground where he had just been, stooping slightly to reach him with its long arms. The shadow did not seem to walk, but instead glided soundlessly across the ground. Bass caught the thing's eyes a moment before it straighten to ready another assault, and although he did not fear this thing, he could not help but shiver before a gaze of hatred so pure and intense the devil himself would have been jealous.

The creature took aim with its hand again, but Bass was done playing the defensive. Barking a new command, he clapped his palm together. There was a resounding boom, and a vertical crescent of air erupted from the space between his hands and expanded at blinding speed, colliding with the shadow thing. The creature stumbled backward, and although it did not make a sound, Bass would have easily guessed that it was not happy. Bass immediately took advantage of the opening and barked his own lightning spell, firing a yellow charge from both palms. The creature was overwhelmed by the force of the blast, and slammed into the opposite wall, leaving a small crater.

Bass attempted to further press his advantage with a fire spell, but by now the shadow was ready for him. It swept its hand into the flames and dispelled them easily, then countered by extending both its palms and unleashing a massive fire blast of its own, each flame dark as midnight. Bass rolled to the side, but he stumbled before he could right himself. Suddenly he was lifted from the ground by the shadow. It rearranged him in its grip so that it was holding him face up, then slammed his back into the ground and pinned him there.

Bass felt as though someone had dropped a mountain on his back. White lights popped in front of his gaze, and his body burned as though a hot brand had been dragged all over his skin. Gasping with pain, he looked up into the cold, pitiless eyes of the monster, who regarded him with cruel triumph. Languidly, for it no longer needed to rush, the shadow moved one hand over Bass's face and its palm began to bubble and writhe. Bass knew that in moments he would be shot to pieces by magic bullets if he didn't get free soon.

Bass gripped the claw pinning him to the ground by its wrist and heaved with all his might, but he might as well have tried to lift one of those pillars stuck in the ground. The hand pinning him had him in a grip tighter than a vice, and his struggling had absolutely no effect of any sort. For the first time since he had begun fighting this thing, Bass thought he might actually die.

Suddenly Bass heard his companion give a muffled sob. It was a tiny sound of absolute terror and weakness, and it set the fox's blood boiling. He couldn't die now, not with his friend in such a situation. He could not die. He would not die.

Suddenly, Bass's palms erupted with heat as though he were holding a star in his hands. Light began to shine at his fingertips, brilliant points of brightness that cut through the darkness of the room, illuminating everything. As Bass watched, the light began to eat through the shadow beast's wrist like an acid. The creature recoiled without a sound, but Bass could see its pain. Its hand was nothing more than a slowly degrading stump.

Bass got to his feet slowly, and stared at the light in his palms, entranced by its simple beauty. Just looking at it made him feel alive and powerful and warm. As Bass watched, the light grew in strength, becoming brighter and stronger with every passing second. It should have blinded the fox, but instead he seemed to see even better as he stared into its depths. Bass glared at the shadow beast, which was now recoiling from the light in his hands, and his eye narrowed dangerously.

"You're never going to hurt anyone every again," he said, and thrust his palms at the beast.

The shafts of light all condensed and focused into a single beam that completely engulfed the dark monster. The only reason it wasn't lost to brightness immediately was because it was so deeply dark, but the more the light touched it, the more it writhed and broke apart. Piece by piece, it slowly crumbled and turned to dust, and though it never once made a sound its agony was evident as it slowly died.

Within moments the beast had shrunk to just a ghost of its former self, smaller now than Bass. Finally, with a last terrible lurch it imploded into a sphere of light, and was no more. The light hovered on its own for a moment, and then shrank into a beautiful crown of gilded gold that tumbled to the floor and rolled over to Bass's feet.

Bass stooped over to pick it up, and no sooner had he straightened up then he was suddenly thrown sideways as his friend ran over to him and all but jumped into his arms. He staggered slightly to retain his balance, and then swept her off her feet and swung her through the air. When he had placed her back on the ground he returned her hug as tightly as he dared, and it was only after a very long time that he broke away, offering her the crown. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason it seemed that the crown was rightfully hers to do with what she wanted.

She took the crown from him and looked at it, but then she met his eyes with a little smile. Without a word she shook her head slowly, and then placed the crown on Bass's forehead. For a long while the two just looked at each other, and the next thing Bass knew his lips were touching hers in a kiss of timeless passion as pure as a diamond. However, like everything else that had happened tonight, though he would swear on his life that he had never kissed a woman besides his mother, this kiss felt familiar, and as natural as breathing.

It was at that moment that Bass awoke from his dream, alternately amazed at the wonders he had just seen and frustrated that such a perfect vision could end so suddenly. After a long while of lying in his bed, reliving his rather heroic exploits, Bass rolled onto his side and fell asleep again, resolving to tell his friends about his amazing adventures, and about the beautiful girl that he had kissed. However, when he woke the next day, he could not remember that he had even had a dream, and it would be a long time before he would recall the events of this night, or recognize their significance. 


End file.
